"Shohoku—! Extra fuel!!"
"Yeah—!!"
At exactly seven o'clock on Saturday morning, the Shohoku High School basketball team gathered at the school gate, right on time. Each member radiated high energy and fighting spirit, thrusting their fists into the air with booming cheers under Captain Akagi's command.
"Defeat Ryonan aaaaaaaa!!"
Among them, Sakuragi was the most enthusiastic. He pumped his fist with wild excitement, shouting louder than anyone else.
"Idiot."
Kaede Rukawa, standing nearby, rolled his eyes in exasperation. Sakuragi, who had incredibly sharp hearing when it came to insults, flared up instantly.
"What!? Say that again, you stinky fox!"
"Sakuragi! Can't you behave for once?!"
As usual, Akagi's iron fist came down on Sakuragi's head. Sakuragi staggered, groaning in pain as he rubbed the sore spot and sulked over to Oliver's side.
"Oliver, let's go all out today and score every single point! We'll show that damn gorilla who's really the boss on this team!"
He threw his arm around Oliver's shoulder, glaring mischievously in Rukawa's direction.
"Hehehe… You stinky Rukawa, your show's over. I'll have my good brothers pass the ball to me nonstop. You'll just sit there sucking your fingers!"
"Hehehe…"
But to Sakuragi's surprise, Oliver only responded with a goofy grin, unusually silent.
"…Oliver?"
Sakuragi waved a hand in front of his face. After a pause, Oliver finally snapped out of his daze.
"Huh? What is it, Hanamichi?"
"What's what is it? You've been grinning like an idiot all morning. Did something good happen?"
Sakuragi looked at him with curiosity.
"Ah~ You can tell~?"
Oliver scratched his head sheepishly, his grin wider than ever. He looked so thrilled it was contagious.
And indeed, Oliver had a reason to be that happy. He'd checked his personal attribute panel right after waking up that morning and nearly jumped out of bed in joy.
Character Name: Oliver
Age: 15
Height: 167cm → 168cm
Weight: 62kg
Strength: 40 (Normal)
Endurance: 76 (Excellent)
Speed: 55 (Good)
Skills: 78 (Excellent)
Hits: 59 (Good)
Bounce: 86 (Perfect)
Legendary Skill Equipped: Fade Away Jump Shot
Equipped Skills: Sonic Dash, Accurate Shooter, Magic Pass, Shining Star
Unequipped Skills: Quick Recovery, Bull Charge
Height increased!
Only by one centimeter, sure, but that single centimeter made Oliver feel like he'd discovered a miracle cure. He had been desperate to grow taller, and now he had proof it was working.
The miracle? Drinking fish mulberry bathwater.
He had tried it on a whim, expecting nothing—and now, miraculously, he'd grown a bit taller. That small success was enough to get him jumping around the room, laughing like a madman and even startling the poor fish in the basin nearby.
With this breakthrough, Oliver had essentially transformed what was supposed to be a one-time consumable into a continuous buff item. He didn't care if it smelled fishy anymore—he'd drink it happily every day if it meant growing taller.
---
"Let's go!!"
With Akagi's shout, the Shohoku team set off and boarded the Enoshima Line, heading toward Ryonan High School. Their tall frames crowded the train car, drawing astonished looks from the passengers.
"Everyone must give their all in today's game!" Akagi declared in the middle of the train, pumping up morale. "Shout with me! Defeat Ryonan!!"
"Defeat Ryonan!!"
Sakuragi and the others echoed the cheer, their voices booming through the train.
"Akagi, we're still in the train... people are watching us," Kogure said nervously, noticing the other passengers looking their way.
"Not loud enough!! Down with Ryonan!!!"
"Down with Ryonan!!!"
"I guess no one listens to me anymore…" Kogure sighed, nearly in tears. Ayako gently patted his back.
"Let them be," she said, smiling. "Their fighting spirit is about to overflow."
"Once more!! Defeat Ryonan! Go Shohoku!!"
"Defeat Ryonan!! Go Shohoku!!!"
---
Meanwhile, in Kanagawa Prefecture…
Mito Yohei was riding his beloved scooter like a man on a mission. Squatting on the front pedal was Takamiya, squeezed in the middle was Noma, and on the back seat sat Ohkusu, clutching Noma tightly for balance.
The one-person scooter was now carrying four large high school boys—a sight as illegal as it was absurd.
"GET OFF MY SCOOTER!!" Mito shouted, wincing as the overloaded vehicle creaked ominously.
"Don't be like that," Takamiya replied cheerfully. "We spent all our money treating Hanamichi to barbecue. We can't afford the train!"
"Exactly! You've got the most money, Yohei. Let us ride together!" Ohkusu chimed in from the back. Noma nodded earnestly.
"You morons! We were supposed to take the train with Hanamichi! But none of you woke up, so now I had to ride to each of your houses to drag you out of bed!"
Just then, Ohkusu turned around, eyes widening in alarm.
"Uh-oh… Yohei! There's a traffic cop behind us!!"
At the corner behind them, a police officer on a bicycle spotted their overloaded scooter. His eyes widened in disbelief before he began pedaling furiously in pursuit.
"Motorcycle ahead! You're violating traffic laws! Pull over immediately!!"
"CRAP! Don't panic! If you move too much, we'll flip over!" Mito shouted, tightening his grip on the handlebars. "Hold on!!"
"We can't get caught! That would be so embarrassing in front of Hanamichi!"
"Uh, Yohei... isn't the bicycle just as fast as your scooter?"
"SHUT UP!! TRUST IN MY GO GO MITO!!"
(The name Mito proudly gave his scooter)
---
Meanwhile, at Oliver's house…
"Mmmmgh! It's already 7:30!?"
Qianhua sat bolt upright, staring at the alarm clock in horror. She leaped out of bed in a panic.
"That idiot brother! He said he'd wake me up!"
She threw on a skirt, kicked off her slippers, and sprinted to the bathroom.
"What if I miss my brother's performance?! Ughhh!"
She brushed her teeth at lightning speed, spat out the foam, and darted upstairs into the storage room. She began frantically rummaging through boxes.
"I swear Dad gave me a high-definition DV camcorder and told me to keep it somewhere... where is it?!"
---
Inside the editorial department of "Weekly Basketball"...
SLAM!
Aida Yayoi slapped the editor-in-chief's desk with both hands.
"I told you today is the practice match between Ryonan and Shohoku! Why won't you let me go cover it!?"
"Relax, Miss Aida," the editor-in-chief said calmly, arms crossed. "I know you like covering Sendoh, and sure, he's a great player. But Shohoku? They haven't even made the county top eight. It's not worth the trouble."
"You don't know anything!" Yayoi snapped. "Shohoku now has Akagi Takenori—best center in the county—AND added Kaede Rukawa, the super rookie. Plus, they've got the epic dark horse Oliver! Don't you want to see what kind of sparks they'll create with Sendoh!?"
"Hmm…"
The editor-in-chief hesitated. He looked uncertain.
"But we've already done so many Ryonan reports…"
"Editor-in-chief!!" Yayoi's voice boomed through the office.
"Alright, alright!" he surrendered. "Go cover it. But bring back something worth publishing!"
Yayoi's expression instantly softened. She winked playfully.
"3Q! I promise this game will be unforgettable!"
She turned around, her energy infectious.
"Nakamura, let's move!"
"Y-Yes, right away!" the rookie editor stumbled after her, scrambling to catch up.
---
At that moment…
Shohoku's team rode the train in formation.
Qianhua hailed a taxi with a half-eaten piece of bread in her mouth.
Mito's overloaded scooter swerved through traffic with the police on its tail.
Yayoi and Nakamura sat in a taxi stuck in a traffic jam, still determined to get there.
Different roads, different people—but all with the same destination in mind:
Ryonan High School.
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